Chapter 8
Rocco
H eartstone, Missouri, was exactly like I expected it. The town reminded me of a tourist stop where everything was centered on families and fun. Driving through, I saw so many places that if we had time, I would love to visit. The Dream Adventures Amusement Park was at the top of the list.
“I bet that would make for a fun day.” I tipped my head toward the turn-off for the park.
Danielle had been pretty quiet since our talk about her past. I had given her space, for the most part.
I was sure that opening up to me had brought up a lot of memories and feelings.
I didn’t want to push her further. Right now, I was just glad I could be here for her, and I was determined that no matter what happened in the future, if she decided to look for more information about her family, I would support her.
“What?” She looked up at me.
“The park.” I pointed out. “I was saying it would probably be fun.”
“I don’t do roller coasters.” She shrugged. “They kinda freak me out.”
“Really?” It was interesting to learn all these new things about her. “I’m sure they have things other than roller coasters.”
“Maybe, but we don’t really have the time.”
“I know, but maybe we could come back.” Now that I was letting myself think about a future with Danni, I couldn’t stop thinking about all the different things we could share together.
Especially with this rig. There weren't a lot of places we couldn’t explore, and once I got the bike, we would be able to do even more.
We were getting close to our destination, and somehow it seemed like Danni was further away than when we started. Yet there were moments like earlier or at night when she was asleep in my arms that I felt closer to her than I have felt to anyone in a really long time.
This was our last stop before we got to Saddleback.
It was decision time, and as nervous as I felt, I was sure I could be the man she deserved.
It had been easy playing the boyfriend for a few days, but now that I had, I wasn’t ready to let her go.
It was scary as fuck to imagine committing again and I still wasn’t sure I could trust that I wouldn’t mess things up, but that didn’t change how I felt.
My biggest fear now was how she would react if my life went to shit again.
Would she actually stay? Just the thought of losing her made me nervous.
Recognizing that had been the turning point.
If I couldn’t stand the idea of losing her, then perhaps I was already committed, whether there was a label on our relationship or not.
I found the RV park where we were staying and checked us in.
They were nice enough to have someone show us to the spot we would be using and explain everything about the hook-ups.
I let him walk me through the process of setting everything up.
The park that we stayed in when we stopped in Foxfire Valley also had water and electricity, but because we were only staying one night and had gone out exploring, I hadn’t bothered connecting.
Since we would be here a couple of nights and I needed to get used to using them before Saddleback, this seemed like the perfect test run.
By the time we got everything turned on and I was good at how to disconnect them, it was too late to go check out the car shop. We were going to have to do that in the morning.
“Would you like to make something or maybe go out to eat?” I asked when I came back inside. “I saw a really cute diner as we drove in.” I had also seen what looked like a racetrack for go karting that I was dying to check out.
“I’m kinda tired.” Danni shrugged. “And I’m not all that hungry.”
“Are you sure?” She didn’t sound like herself. “I can make you something small.” I offered.
“I’ll probably just make a cheese board, but if you want to go to the diner, don’t let me stop you.”
“I’m good.” I smiled. Maybe I could talk her into the race track tomorrow night. “I can always do cheese for dinner.” It was a joke that I hoped would lift her spirits.
She narrowed her eyes. “You’d be willing to just have cheese for dinner? My cheese?”
She knew I wasn’t a fan of all the fancy cheeses that everyone seemed to lose their shit about these days. What was wrong with a good old-fashioned cheddar cheese? When did a plain slice of American go out of style?
“Sure.” I offered.
Danni stared at me for a long time before I saw a small smile start to crack across her face. “You are really going all out to get me back in bed.” She shook her head.
“What does that mean?” Is that what she thought was going on? “And for the record, we’ve been sharing a bed all week.”
“You know what I mean.” She let out a quick laugh. “There’s no way you would eat the cheese I like unless you were desperate to get laid or you lo...” She cut herself off. Her eyes went wide as she held her mouth open. A ripple of fear shot through me.
“Unless I was?” I wasn’t sure if I wanted her to finish that sentence or if her saying it would freak me the fuck out.
I wasn’t ready for the word. Not yet. Not until I had a clue how she felt. I was completely being a chicken-shit, but I couldn’t be the first one to say it again. The first to acknowledge it. I couldn’t risk that kind of heartache.
“Nothing.” She swallowed down whatever she had been about to say. “Um, why don’t we check out the diner?” She suggested.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay.” I let the subject drop.
IT WAS CRAZY HOW ONE change in mindset could affect everything about you.
After realizing that I wanted Danni, I felt lighter.
Almost excited. I couldn’t stop touching her, holding her, kissing her.
All I wanted was to be with her, and if it wasn’t for the fact I had to go look at this Harley today, I would have suggested we didn’t leave the RV until I had to drop her off for the wedding.
I wondered if I could get her to cancel her hotel reservation.
We were both going to be in Saddleback, and it didn’t make sense for her to spend the money for a room when she could stay with me.
I’d make sure she got to the wedding and whatever other things she had to do, but afterward we could enjoy the motorcycle rally and spend time just being us before we head back home.
“Are you really sure you want a bike?” She asked before we walked into Miller Car Restoration and Repair.
“Yep.” I let go of her hand and put my arm around her waist to draw her closer.
“I don’t plan on riding it all the time.
Just on occasion. Have you ever been on a motorcycle?
” She shook her head, and a slow smile crossed my lips.
I liked the idea of her behind me with her arms and her legs wrapped tightly around me.
“You’re going to love it,” I whispered in her ear before pulling the lobe lightly with my teeth.
“Roc.” My name was little more than a breath.
I groaned and let her go. If I didn’t stop, I wasn’t going to be able to walk, much less ride.
I held the door open for her so she could walk in. The place was loud and wide open. I had expected a lobby and a door leading to the bay, but they had an opening in the wall where you could see everything they were working on.
They had some beautiful old cars, and as we waited, I could have sworn I caught a glimpse of a Thunderbird back in the corner that looked vintage and like it still needed a lot of work.
“Can we help you?” I looked back to see a strikingly tall woman standing there with her bright red hair pulled into some sort of knot or bun on the top of her head.
She had on a pair of glasses that did nothing to diminish how beautiful her hazel eyes looked, and the oversized work overalls didn’t hide her curves, either.
I bet if she pulled her hair down, lost the glasses, and the overalls, she’d be cover model gorgeous.
“Hi, I’m looking for Wyatt,” I told her.
“Wyatt.” She yelled behind her. “Customer.” She gave us a nod, and surprisingly, went back to working on one of the cars waiting to be serviced.
“Not what I expected,” I said, just for Danielle.
“What? That she didn’t flirt with you like every other woman we’ve met on this trip?” Danni tried to pull away.
“No.” I held her tight. “I’m not looking for anyone to flirt with me,” I assured her.
“I meant all of this. The open bay, the model working on cars, and the fact they don’t seem to have a secretary or anyone at the desk.
The place is big enough to be a dealership, but they seem to be running it like it’s some mom-and-pop shop. ”
“Maybe they like the hands-on feel of a mom-and-pop shop.” She suggested.
“Maybe,” I replied as a bodybuilder of a guy walked toward us.
Bodybuilder wasn’t right. He wasn’t bulky like someone who lifted weights all the time, but he had a lot of muscle on him.
His hair wasn’t as red as the woman who greeted us, but I could see some red tinting in the darkness, and his eyes had the same color as hers.
Maybe they were related or siblings. His face was pulled into a serious expression that almost looked gruff, and his overalls were just as baggy as the other woman’s.
“Ya need help?” He said in a voice as scratchy as the beard he sported.
“You Wyatt Miller?”
“Yep.” His eyebrow went up, but that was about the extent of any change in his look, and he didn’t say anything else.
“I’m Rocco Crane.” I introduced myself. “We spoke on the phone about the Harley.”
He looked me up and down and let out a breath. “Didn’t think you’d actually show.” He waved his hand to beckon us and turned. “It’s back here.”
I looked down at Danni, and she shrugged. We followed him to a corner of the shop. Turned out there were more people working here than I had originally thought. They all had their hands on different cars and bikes, from what looked like a sixties Mustang to a current Jeep of some sort.
“Here she is.” Wyatt pulled a tarp off a beautifully restored Harley-Davidson that had me taking in a sharp breath. It was everything that I had dreamed about.
The body was a royal sort of light blue color with chrome that shone as if the sun was permanently touching it. The wheels were standard, but the front light and the handlebars were right out of an old black and white movie.
As I walked around it, I was amazed at how sleek it looked, but the seat worried me. I wasn’t sure that it would be comfortable for any kind of long ride, and it was way too small to have Danni ride with me.
“Can we switch out the seat?” I asked.
“Nope.” Wyatt shook his head. “These weren’t necessarily made for comfort. They are mostly for show and to feel the power they have.” He explained. “If you want something that would work for the two of you, then I also have this one.”
He walked over to another tarp and pulled the cover off.
It wasn’t anywhere near vintage, but it was sexy.
The whole thing was black with red highlights and a seat that sat lower to the ground than the Harley.
The wheels looked a little like tricycle wheels, but it didn’t matter.
The whole thing felt like it was calling my name.
“It’s a twenty-three Honda Gold Wing,” Wyatt explained before going down the specs.
“It’s nice.” I walked around this one. Excitement raced through me as I imagined a trip to the coast with Danni.
Both of us were holding on, and the wind wrapped around us.
I could see getting off and watching her pull her helmet over her head and shake her hair out.
Tight leather pants and a ripped T completed the fantasy.
“Can we test it?” I wanted her on the back.
“Do you have helmets?” He asked.
Shit. I had bought one for myself, but I didn’t have an extra. “Do you sell them?”
“Of course.”
“I have one, but she’ll need one,” I told him.
“I’m good.” Danni shook her head.
“I need your opinion,” I said.
“You already know my opinion.” She raised an eyebrow.
“But you haven’t tried it. I’m sure once we are on here, your opinion might change.” I looked back at Wyatt. “Can you get her a helmet?”
“Sure.” He almost looked like he was going to smile, but it disappeared quickly. “I’ll have my sister find one for her.” He walked off and left us alone.
“I don’t want to get on that thing,” Danni whispered.
“Please.” I didn’t like the whine of my voice, but I really wanted her with me.
I could see the fight all over her face before she caved. “Fine, but if we crash, I will never forgive you.”
I took her face in my hands. “Do you think I would do anything that might hurt you? You’re the most precious thing in my life.”
Her eyes widened, and her lips cracked apart. I leaned in and captured them with mine. This kiss was softer and deeper than any other we had ever shared. I pulled back and looked into her eyes. Every ounce of fear dissolved as a sense of connection settled into my body.
I loved her. I was completely in love with Danielle Stoll.
“Here you go.” Wyatt interrupted my revelation. “This should work.” He held out a helmet.
“Thanks.” I let Danni go with a smile. “Let me get mine, and we will be ready to go.” I gave her a quick kiss and walked away with a new level of excitement. Not just for the bike, but for the future I’d hopefully get to have with her.